Burner for heavy hydrocarbons



y E. R. WOLCOTT BURNER FOR HEAVY HYDR'OCARBONS Filed Dec. 20,. 1923 2Sheets-Sheet 1 1,630,556 May E. R. 'WOLCOTT BURNER FOR HEAVYHYDROCARBONS Filed D ec. 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- PatentedMay 31, 1927.

men STATES EDSON R. WOLCOT'I, F PORTAR'II-IUR, TEXAS.

BURNER FOR HEAVY HYDROCARBONS.

Application filed December 20, 1923. Serial No. 681,851.

This invention relates to means for burning crude petroleum, petroleumresidue, or other heavy hydrocarbons which tend to decompose on burning,With resulting incomplots combustion, and formation of consterable freecarbon, and the main object otthe invention is to provide forsubstantially complete and effective combustion of such heavyliydrocarbons. A further object at .so the invention is to provide anoil' burner vvl'iich will first separate the more volatile from the lessvolatile constituents of the hydrocarbous and Will burn such constitu-"t 133 'ately so as to provide for the most etlective combustion of eachof said constituents. A further object of the invention. .is to utilizeheat developing by the combustion of the most volatile and more readilycombustible of the hydrocarbons for ensuring combustion of the carbonand less volatile hydrocarbons. I

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodimentot my invention andreferring thereto:

Fig. llS a vertical section of the oil bruri'ier, and Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section on line in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the lower portion oi? the oil burnershowing a modified :t'orin ot the refractory body therein. a

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion oi a furnace showing my burneras applied thereto. 1

My in'iproved oil burner may comprise oil Supply means consisting of apipe 1 connected to any suitable source of crude oil or other heavyhydrocarbon and having an outlet tube 2 provided with regulating valve3, said outlet tube opening into a heating chamber or 'olatilizingchamber at formed ier enample as a vertical tubular chamber closed atthe top and tapering end to an outlet opening 5. Below said-outletopening 5 i provide means for receiving unvolatilized carbonaceousmaterial and exposing the same so as to permit combustion thereof, saidmeans consisting for example oi a body of refractory material whichpreferably consists of porous or perforate tire clay silica brick orother similar material. either in the form otchecker Work 6 as in Fig. lor in the form of fragments ti disposed so as to form interstices torthe passage "of air therethrough as shown in Fig. 3, the said mass beingmounted on a suitable support such as a tubular member chamber 4. Said.chamber is the lighter at its lower adjacent to the burner meansb.

'71 provided if necessary. with a grate on which the porous or perforatemass rests.

The refractory mass above referred to constitutes a burner means forreceiving and exposing the carbonaceous residuum to cornbustion, andmeans are provided for conducting to this burner means, volatilehydrocarbons such as gas or vapor produced by volatilizationofthesupplied crude oil or heavy hydrocarbon in the heating orvolatilizing chamber el; For this purpose one or more pipes indicated at.8 may lead trom said volatilizin'g chamber 4 to. a burner or burners 9adjacent to the tubular support 7 and are provided with any orifices l0extending-in or adjacent to the relractory burner body 6. .Air inlets 11may be provided for addition of air to the gases or vapors so supplied,such as being preferably mixed with the gases or vapors before theyreach the point of combustion so as to provide for more effectivecombustion. The burner above described is enclosed in a suitablecombustion chamber indicated at 14, having inlet .15 at itsbottom forair and outlet 16 at its top tion, this combustion chamber confining theproducts of: combustion and conducting them to the said outlet. v

The operation of the burner is follows: The crude oil or other heavyhydrocarbon leaves the supply pipe. or tube 2' at a point which is notsufliciently heated to form coke at such outlet point, the outlet ofsaid tube being'pre-terably tapered so asto cause the oil to fall indrops which pass through the outgoing gas or products of combustion sothat the drops of oil in falling through said chamber are heatedsufliciently to volatilize constituents, forming gas or vapor whichpasses down through the pipes 8 to the burner chamber 9 wherein such'gas or vapor is mixed with air and burns at or Movement ofthevolatilized gas or desired number 01" for roducts'ot combusheated by thevapor to the burner from the chamber 4: is ellected by the ejectioneffect of the burner and by the vapor pressure in chamber a. Theresiduum oi the oil, consisting of the non-volatile or unvolatilizedportions of the hydrocarbon including any free carbon which may beformed, tails "freely and continually through outl'et opening fraud isreceived on the burner means 6 directly below said opening and is burnedthereon by combustion with the air entering ivitli substantially throughthe tubular support 7 and through the refractory mass constitutingtheburner means 6, the heat furnished bythe flame from burner 9 aidingin maintaining and ensuringcomplete combustion of such residnalmaterial. The hot products of coinbustion from both the volatile andnonvolatile portions of the "hydrocarbon pass upwardly around thevolatilizing chamber i so as to heat the sameas above described and passout through the outlet 16. It should be noted that the outlet 2 of thesupply means isdirectly ab'ovethe opening at the lower end of thevolatilizirig chamber and the burner means 6 directly beloivsaid openingThe heavy liquid hydrocarbon is continuallysupplied,preferably in theform of dropsyto the upper-portion (it the volatilizmg chamber andinfalling theretlirough the volatile portions are volatilized by the heatinsaid chainben while the unvolatilized por tion falls freely" andcontinually through opening 5 ontoburner means j o By the abovedescribed means it ispossible to burn crude oil or licavy residuumcomplete combustion. The invention provides means t'or removing thegaseous or volatile l'iydrocarbonsand burning them in such portion thatthe heat iroln such combustion aids in the combustion oi theheavyresiduum and on the other hand suchi'esiduuin is burnt. at Ia pointoutside of the volatilizing chamber so that there is no dangerot'iclogging thevolatilizing chain her. i i f i To start the burneigaporous refractory filled with kerosene wouldpbe inserted betweenthe twogas burners and left there until the refractory and ocontainedyeoke beeameredhot. I have indicated in liig. 1 an outlet for the hot productsof combustion, it being u11- izing chamber adapted derstood that thisoutlet may; lead to any suitable heat utilizing means. It willbounderstood however, that the oil burners described may be positioneddirectly below or ad' iacente'to the means tobe heated for example, theoil burners may be enclosed in a suitabletire boat or combustion chamber1 L :lorming part of a furnace 1'? ,as shown in While this lllVGlltlOllis particularly adapted to the combustion or heavy hydrocarbons itis notintended to limit its use thereto as itanay also beiisedtoadvantage-With lighter hydrocarbons.

i What I claim is 1,. A hydrocarbon burner comprismg sup- 1 i means forliquid hydrocarbon, a volatilhydrocarbon fron'i saidsupplymeans and endWlfll an opening permit free and continual dispositioned directly belowsaid lower openatilizine' chamber.

to receive such liquid ing oi: the volatilizing chamber and adaptedtoreceive the residual hydrocarbon therefrom, means for conducting tosaid burner means hydrocarbon vapor produced by aetion of heat on thehydrocarbons supplied to the said volatilizing chamber, said burnermeans being provided with means for supplyinghir thereto for combustionof both the residual hydrocarbon and the said hydrocarbon vapor andmeans for conducting the hot products otcombustion from said burnermeans to a position to heat the said vol 2. A burner lor heavy liquidhydrocarboos comprising a rolatilizing; chamber bai' ing an opening atits lower end, means for continually sup iilying liquid liydroearbon tothe upper portion of said volatilizing; ehamher, a burner meanspositioned below said opening at the lower end at said rohlitilizingchamber so as to receive residual liquid hydrocarbon passing throughsaid volatiliz ing chan'iber, "leans for conductiinf to said burnermeans hydrocarbon vapor pmjducifeil by the action of heat .on the liquidhydroendol': saidvolatilizing chamber so as to cause said liquidhydrocarbon (to ll through said volatilizing chamber and pen initvolatile portions of such hydi'oearbon to be volatilized by tlm heat insaid volatilin ing; chamber, said volatilizing chaniber haw ing anopening at itslo ver end to permit free and continual passagetherethrough of nnrolatilized portions of thehydrocarlrion, burner meanshunted dircrily below said openingat the lower endof said volatizingchamber so as to receive such unvolatized it liydrocarbon passingthrough said opening, means for conducting t'ttPOllZGCl portionsof thellydrocarbon from the upper end of: said ivolatilizing chamber to saidburner means, mains lor supplying an: to said burner means forcombustion of the tin-vaporized and vaporized portions of theliydroearbon and means for conducting the hot products of combustionfromsaid burner meanstiji position to heat said volatilizing chamber."

4 A burner for heavy liquid hydrocarbone comprising a vertical tubularvolatili'xling chan'iberprovided at its lower end with an opening,nieans for continually supply liquid ydrocarbon in the form of dropstheupper portion or said volatilizing chain for heavy liquid hydroearrIll her so as to cause such drops to fall through said chamber andpermit volatile portions thereof to be volatilized by the heat in saidvolatilizing chamber, said liquid hydrocarbon supply means beii'iglocated directly above said opening so as to permit unvolatilizedportions of the hydrocarbon to tail freely through said opening, burnermeans located directly below said openingto receive such unvolatilizedhydrocarbon means for conducting volatilized hydrocarbon from the upperend of said volatilizing chamber to said burner means, means forsupplying air to said burner means for combustion oi the volatilized andim'volatilized portions of the hydrocarbon and means for conducting hotproducts of combustion from the burner means to position to heat saidvolatilizing chamber. c p l 5. A burner for heavy liquid hydrocarbonscomprising a vertical tubular volatilizing chamber having an opening atits lower end, means for supplying liquid hydrocarbon to the upper endof said rolatilizing chamber and directly above said opening so as tocause such hydrocarbon to fall through said volatilizing chamber andpermit volatilization of volatile portions thereof by the heat in saidchamber, burner means located directly below the opening at the lowerend of said volatilizing chamber and adapted to receive unvolatilizedportions of the hydrocarbon passing through said opening, burner meanslocated adjacent said firstnamed burner means, means for conductingvolatilized hydrocarbon from the upper end of said volatilizing chamberto said second named burner means, means for supplying air to both ofsaidburner means for combustion of the hydrocarbonsupplied thereto andmeans for conducting hot products of combustion from both of said burnermeans in position to heat said Volatilizing chamber.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 17th day ofDecember 1923.

EDSON R. WoLooTT.

